Lost Princess Series 4: Step By Step
by shadowglove
Summary: Sequel to Destiny Begun. Step by step each chess piece begins to move into place for the real game to begin.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Merlin. **

Sequel to: Destiny Begun

_This segment is dedicated to __**TheAttentionJustEncouragesHer**__, whose words gave me encouragement to continue writing in this universe right when I was contemplating deleting the series._

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"Why couldn't we have just stop and spend the night in the village we passed a couple of miles back?" Chloe wanted to know, hating that she was whining, but in severe pain and felt no guilt at taking it out on Arthur.

"You wanted to spend the night in _Ealdor_?" Arthur made his nose up at the very suggestion, letting her know just what he'd thought of the little hamlet.

"Yes, in _Ealdor_." Chloe muttered, body _aching_ from the days ride. She wasn't used to being on horseback, to the jostling and such, and her back and thighs were _killing_ her. "They might've had an inn, with a nice bed, and a tub that could be filled with warm water." She glared at him heatedly. "Warm water would have relaxed my muscles and would have helped with the pain."

"Ealdor wouldn't have an inn." Arthur scoffed, face still scrunched. "They're lucky they even have _hovels_ to sleep in. Cenred has no great love for the outlying provinces of his own kingdom." He sneered. "By contrast, the poorest village of Camelot is considered wealthy."

Chloe wanted to clobber him. Seriously. She wanted to know what turned him from this arrogant ass to the king she'd always admired and crushed on. Because he obviously hadn't always had the characteristics that'd made her fall for him in the legends.

While Arthur wasn't villainous, as she'd nearly painted him before, he was very much what one would call a diamond in the rough. And he was _very much_ in the rough. At times she could see little displays that proved he could be that great king, but most of the time his abysmal attitude covered it all up and it seemed impossible for him to truly be the Prince (or King) Arthur she'd spent her childhood reading about. Chloe had spent these last couple of days traveling with him, away from the Royal Court, to really look at him and get a feel for the real him when his father wasn't bearing down on him.

Apparently his hatred for magic didn't run as deep as his father's, although he did seem to quite detest it. She'd asked one of the Knights, Leon, why. The young ma hadn't given her a straight answer, but _had_ managed to say that magic had taken away two of the most important people in Arthur's life when he was quite young. And with that information, no matter how vague, Chloe was beginning to see the situation a little better, able to understand Arthur's negative feelings towards magic. It'd _killed_ two very important people in his life, so he would obviously view it as a bad thing. And yes, it _could_ be bad, but there was also good magic out there. Magic in itself truly wasn't good or evil, it was the people who used it who determined whether it'd be used for the light or darkness. While there were a lot of sorcerers or witches that would let the power take over their mind (like meteor freaks had let the meteor infection turn them insane) there were also wizards out there who would use their powers for good (like the meteor freaks who hadn't succumbed to the meteor psychosis).

Chloe wondered if, since this was her destiny and all, if she hadn't been sent to live in Smallville so that she could learn this and then help Arthur realize it.

It wasn't that she had this overly blown ego that made her think that Arthur would listen to her, it wasn't as if she was anyone in this timeline, but she'd been brought here for a reason and that reason was to heal Camelot and by proxy, Albion. And she was seeing more and more that if she was going to heal Camelot, she was going to have to heal both Uther and Arthur, its ruler and future ruler. But to do so she was going to need the help of this mysterious Emrys character. Chloe couldn't remember anyone in the Arthurian legends named Emrys, didn't even know if it was a girl or a boy, and that was a draw-back, but she knew he or she would appear and when the person did Chloe would have everything she needed to fulfill her destiny.

And maybe, when she did, she could go back home.

Her heart clenched.

She missed Lois, Lana, and Clark desperately.

But out of all of them she missed her cousin the most.

"Come closer to the fire, it'll warm you." Arthur didn't wait for her consent, instead pulling her up and moving her closer to the fire before depositing her down. "Won't be as good as a warm bath, but it will do."

"Oh, I'm so happy _you_ feel so." She glared at him, slapping away his hands. "And the next time you put your hands on me without permission I'm going to cut them off."

"Many a damsel in court has begged to have my hands on her." Arthur huffed.

"Did they have concussions at the time?" Chloe quipped with an air of faux innocence, flinching as her muscles hurt as she reached out to warm her hands by the fire.

"No, My Lady, I assure you they were all in their right mind." Arthur glared at her, although there was the impression that he found her insolence reluctantly amusing. "One would assume _you_ were the one who has taken an absence of her mind."

"One would think the man who believes every woman should beg for him narcissistic and in need of a swift kick in the ass."

The knights who weren't on guard duty eyed them with utter fascination, as they'd been doing these last couple of days while they slowly travelled the Escetian terrain. Apparently something about Chloe's and Arthur's interaction intrigued them to no end, and they tried making their fascination and observance subtle, thought they failed terribly.

Chloe's gaze went to Sir Pellinore, who was the one in charge of the cooking. "Sir Pellinore?"

He looked up from where he was fumbling with the pots that's been saddled to his steed, along with the food supplies. "Milady?"

"I don't want you to be offended, it's not my intent at all," she cleared her throat, giving him a small smile. "But can I cook tonight?"

Despite his earnest efforts, Pellinore's food tasted terrible.

Inhumanly so.

The knights looked horrified at her request.

"Milady!"

"We could not ask of you-!"

"No Lady should-!"

"_Absolutely not_." Arthur snarled from where he'd returned with a blanket to wrap around her, laying it on her shoulders.

"And why not? No one's asking me, I _want_ to cook!" Chloe snapped, glaring at him and the knights. "And it's not like it'd be the first time I have cooked food. I-I _enjoy_ it. It relaxes me."

"You-you've done manual labor?" Arthur sounded horrified at this. "Were you a servant in your..._kingdom_?"

The knights didn't know of her true origins, and like the rest of the people, believed that she'd had blood ties to Queen Igraine of some sort, and had come from a far away kingdom to become King Uther's ward since there was a war in her homeland.

"_No_, but things are _different_ there." Chloe glared at him, taking in a deep breath. "There I don't live in a castle, but in a two story house, and I live with my cousin. In my...kingdom...everyone has to work and do things to be able to afford to eat. When I come home from studying and working, I also have to work in the house, cleaning and cooking."

"You...you were living in abject _poverty_!" Arthur hissed, obviously very much offended by this. "How _dare_ she-!"

Chloe blinked, not exactly sure with _whom_ he was so pissed off. "It wasn't _poverty_. It was a good life, and I enjoyed it." She turned to Pellinore. "_Please_, sir Pellinore? Help a damsel in distress out. Aren't you supposed to save them? You'll be saving me from going _insane_ with boredom. _Please_."

Pellinore looked overwhelmed with this compelling argument, and yet turned his gaze to Arthur. "My Prince?"

Arthur sighed, hand over his eyes. "Just humor her or we'll never hear the end of it."

Chloe turned Arthur, grinning, and hugged him tightly in thanks, forgetting about her sore muscles. "_Thank you_!" She pulled away and turned from him, missing the shocked expression on his face, as she got to work immediately. The blonde felt no shyness in ordering around the knights, sending out two to go hunt and skin something to eat (ordering them to make sure it wasn't something cute and cuddly like a rabbit) and going through Pellinore's saddlebags, decided for some potatoes, carrots, and onions. Returning with the pot and vegetables, she sent a couple of knights with a couple of pots to the stream nearby so that they could have one pot of water for her to wash the vegetables in, and the other so she could start the stew.

Once everything was around her, Chloe smiled and sat down, beginning to peel the potatoes with the knife Pellinore had given her. She hummed, losing herself to the work, but before long the silence reached her and she looked up, realizing that the knights and Arthur were all watching her in surprise.

Clearing her throat, a little unnerved by the attention, she gazed at 'Sir Owain The Baby-Faced' (as she silently referred to him). "Sir Owain, I have a riddle for you, are you up to the challenge?"

The young knight's eyes widened and he straightened, clearing his throat. "A knight of Camelot is always up for a challenge, milady."

"Good." Smiling, Chloe's gaze went back to the potatoes. "Three women were transformed into flowers which grew in the field, but one of them was allowed to be in her own home at night, then when day was drawing near she was forced to go back to her companions in the field and become a flower was more. She said to her husband, 'If you will come this afternoon and gather me, I shall be set free and henceforth stay with you'. He did as told." She gazed up once more at the knights before returning her attention to Sir Owain. "So my question is this. How did her husband know which was her if the flowers were exactly alike, and without any difference?"

There were murmurs as the knights all seemed curious an intrigued.

Sir Owain made a face, deep in thought.

Arthur looked between them and a secret little smile tilted his lips as he sat down next to Chloe, leaning back on his elbows.

"Maybe..." Sir Owain looked up, clearing his throat. "His love was so strong and true that he could see through any disguise?"

The knights snickered.

He glared at them, blushing slightly.

Chuckling, Chloe shook her head. "Well, while that's indeed romantic, Sir Owain, that isn't the answer." She raised an eyebrow at the snickering knights. "Does anyone else have an answer to the riddle?"

The snickers stopped.

"Come now men." Arthur cajoled from her side. "Surely one of you can defeat this challenge."

There was silence, and then Sir Leon, Arthur's second in command, cleared his throat. "No dew."

"Huh?" One of the other knights asked. "What are you going on about?"

Leon cleared his throat once more, speaking louder. "She was a human during the nights at her house and not in the field, so the dew wouldn't have fallen on her as it did on the others. She'd be the only flower without it, and by this her husband would know her."

"_Bravo_ Sir Leon." Chloe grinned. "You are the champion of this round."

Sir Pellinore gave the grinning Sir Leon a congratulatory pat on his back.

The knights chuckled.

Arthur's grin grin slightly.

"There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good." Chloe continued on in her work. "Who are they?"

A couple of the knights began to repeat the riddle to themselves softly.

"Runs but never wearies...eats and is never full...drinks but is always thirsty...and sings a song that is never good." Sir Pellinore made up his face.

Sir Owain seemed quite desperate to reclaim his honor after having failing the previous one, but didn't seem to be able to come up with anything.

"I know the answer." Arthur announced smugly. "It's water, fire, earth and wind."

Chloe turned to grin at him. "Correct."

"Of _course_ I have to save your honors." Arthur scoffed, though his voice was tinted with amusement, which was echoed in the eyes of his knights.

Chloe had to admit it, despite what an ass he could be, Arthur seemed fond of his knights and they of him.

"If you do not mind me asking, milady," one of the younger knights asked. "Where did you learn the riddles?"

"At the Daily Planet, they had a riddles column ever sunday and I..." She paused, looking up, realizing that they wouldn't get the reference. "Uhm...at my place of employment...there were a collection of these riddles and I enjoyed them."

Arthur frowned once more at the mention of a job.

"You...were employed...by transcribers?" One of the knights asked.

"What exactly was it that you did?" Another wanted to know.

"Well, I found stories of things that were happening around my...village...and wrote about them so that others would know." Chloe responded, describing journalism in the best way she could.

"So you were a _bard_." One of the knights exclaimed.

She smiled. "I guess you could say that."

"What tales do you know of?" One of the older ones asked.

"Please milady, beguile us with a tale." Another smiled.

Arthur looked around at his knights, surprised.

"Well..." Chloe pondered a moment, thinking of all the many incredible stories she herself had lived through, and wondered how to tell it in a way that entertained, and yet didn't arouse too many questions. "Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Krypton, there was a war so great, it destroyed everyone who ever lived there." She cleared her throat. "Days before its destruction, the King and Queen realized that the end was near, and to save their infant son, heir to the throne, they sent him away in a small boat in the river."

The knights quieted, listening intently.

"The small boat would have floated on the waters and the young prince would have perished if a kind farmer and his wife hadn't happened upon him and heard his cry." She continued with her work, a small smile on her face. "The farmer and his wife were childless, and had been praying to the gods for a baby of their own, so they considered the boy a gift from the gods and raised him as their own. For years the boy grew up on the farm, helping his parents, not knowing the truth about his heritage or that he was a prince and not a farmhand. Yet he was happy, and loved his parents dearly as they loved him."

A melancholy expression began to tint Arthur's face as he gazed into the flames.

"As the boy grew older, he fell in love with the niece of a woman who lived close by, but the young girl, beautiful beyond compare in the realm, didn't notice him. Her beauty was well known amongst the kingdom, and many courted and wooed her." Chloe smirked, thinking how Lana's story really _did_ sound like a fairy tale now that she was telling it that way. "Finally, one of the knights of the realm won her hand, and they were...of an understanding." Her smirk grew at the thought of referring to Whitney as a knight. "Still it didn't stop the longing in the men's hearts in the kingdom, not even our little unknown heir. The other males continued to fight over her, despite her understanding with the knight, trying to sway her to their side or steal her from him."

"That's not very honorable." Sir Pellinore frowned deeply. "Even if she has stolen their hearts, if she has given her word to another, then the honorable thing would be to step aside and let her and the knight be."

The knights murmured their agreement.

"But you see, she was very beautiful." Chloe sighed.

"Her beauty sounds maddening." Leon murmured. "It sounds like a curse."

Chloe looked up at Sir Leon with a curious smile. "It probably was a curse in a sense."

"What happened next?" Sir Owain asked, looking very much like a boy right now.

"Well," Chloe finished with the potatoes, cutting them into cubes and placing them in the boiling water. "The young farmboy had two friends, one of another peasant boy like himself, and the other was a young maiden whose dream was to become a great bard one day."

Arthur frowned and sat up, eyeing her suspiciously.

"The young bard had started realizing something no one in her village did...that certain people were different from them...and they were causing a lot of trouble for the village, putting them in danger." Chloe wondered how exactly she was going to explain the Meteor Freaks.

"_Witches_." Sir Pellinore whispered to Sir Leon, who nodded his agreement.

She wanted to correct them, didn't want to make magic the villain of her stories...that would go against everything she needed to teach...but she realized that they, like Arthur, needed to _slowly_ be taught that magic was neutral and it was the witches who were either good or evil...so she remained silent and let them assume what they wanted.

"Why was the bard the only one who realized that there were witches in the village?" Sir Owen wanted to know, eyes wide. "I would have thought it would be obvious to anyone when they saw the magic."

"Well, in her village they didn't believe magic existed, so they tried to explain the many odd things away as logically as possible...and those things they couldn't explain they didn't aknowlegde and refused to think of ever again." Chloe shrugged.

"Ignorant peasants." Sir Rochester snorted, shaking his head in disgust.

Her lips twitched in wry amusement. "The bard kept her discoveries to herself, writing them in...a journal she called...The Chronicles of the Weird...and didn't tell her two friends of what she'd discovered or what her theories were."

"She was unwise." Sir Thomas mumbled, disapproving. "She should have informed her friends, and the Magistrates, and had them deal with the vile witchcraft."

"The people didn't believe in magic. Why would she tell them?" Sir Boris wanted to know. "If she raised a ruckus and they didn't believe her, she would have exposed her knowledge of the witches to said creatures and they would have disposed of her to protect themselves."

"Surely there would be someone who believed her and would take his place as her champion and protector." Sir Thomas announced, chest puffed out. "The exiled prince for example."

At the reminder of the hero of her tale, the knights returned their attention to her.

Chloe bit back the smile her felt tugging at her lips at their enraptured attention. She opened her mouth to continue when suddenly two of the knights she'd sent out hunting returned, holding a struggling youth between them.

The knights by the fire, and Arthur, all suddenly stood, drawing their swords.

Chloe herself, feeling the tension, tightened her grip on the knife she was using to peel the potatoes.

"We found this runt skulking in the bushes." Sir Gilead announced, shoving the boy forwards.

The newcomer, in that awkward stage in his life in which he had yet to grow into his limbs, stumbled before catching himself. "I was _not_ skulking! I'm from Elador and I'm making my way to Camelot. I was just looking for a place to camp the night when these two jumped out of nowhere, attacked me without provocation, and dragged me out here!"

"Mind your tone, peasant." Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Do you know who it is you're addressing?"

"Other than the fact that he's an utter _arse_?" The guy snarked, hands going to his hips. "_No_."

Chloe liked him.

She really _really_ liked him.

Arthur, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to wring the guy's neck. "Listen here you impertinent _buffoon_. I'm-."

Chloe's eyes widened, remembering that Arthur and his men weren't supposed to be in Escetia...that their presence here alone could be an international incident (which was why they hid their emblems). This was why she shot to her feet and dropped her knife, reaching out and laying a hand on Arthur's shoulder before he could let his anger get the better. "Stand down, Sir Penn. It's alright."

The knights and Arthur both just turned to look at her in confusion.

All except for Sir Leon, who'd looked utterly horrified seconds ago when he'd realized Arthur was about to out them.

"I'm sorry for my men," Chloe smiled at the young Ealdorean, taking a step towards him. "We're headed towards Camelot as well, and my men are very protective of me."

The young male narrowed his eyes on Arthur before turning a shy smile on Chloe. "It's okay...I can understand."

"What business do you have in Camelot, boy?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.

Chloe found it hysterical that Arthur referred to the newcomer as 'boy' considering that Chloe was probably his age, and Arthur wasn't much older.

The stranger's red neckerchief bobbed as he gulped, eyes unconsciously going to the armed men, before returning to her with a slightly nervous smile. "My mother once studied under the Court Physician, and sends me to be his apprentice."

Arthur frowned.

"What's your name?" Chloe asked curiously.

The guy cleared his throat. "Merlin, milady."

Chloe's eyes widened, her smile slipping from her lips as she just gazed at the young man in surprise.

Merlin?

_This_ was Merlin?

But wasn't Merlin supposed to be some old dude?

She vaguely heard Merlin asking for her name, but with her heart racing and head spinning she couldn't think properly, couldn't concentrate...wasn't even sure _what_ she'd told him. Things around her seemed to be spinning, her confusion mounting, and it was only Arthur's sword clanging to the ground as he dropped it that pulled her out of the near trance she'd been in.

"Arthur?" She turned to him, worried when she saw the ghastly expression on his face as he eyed her. "Arthur, are you alright?"

"Perhaps Sir Penn doesn't approve that you gave your name to a stranger, Lady Guinevere." Sir Leon stepped in, sending Arthur a confused look as well, obviously not understanding why the prince was acting this way.

But then Chloe's eyes widened in horror as she picked up on something Leon had said.

He'd called her Lady Guinevere.

Which meant that the name she'd given Merlin was Guinevere!

She wanted to slap herself in horror!

How could she have been so foolish?

Just because she happened to envy the future Queen for having two delicious morsels like Arthur and Lancelot at her beck and call did _not_ make it alright for her to do something like this! It was almost as if she'd _wanted_ to be Guinevere subconsciously! Chloe didn't care much for the Queen in mention, she wouldn't have had all the affaires with all the different men, knights, kings and lords that the woman had had (Lancelot and Arthur alone should be more than enough and somewhat hard to handle)...but she had to admit that after seeing both Arthur and Lancelot Chloe could understand the Queen's inability to choose between the two of them.

If she were the Queen, she didn't think she would be able to as well.

For that reason Chloe was grateful that that choice would never fall to her.

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"Are you sure?" King Uther whispered, eyeing the two girls with the charred clothes resting in the Court Physician's chambers.

"Yes sire, this girl here bears the mark of a companion of the House of Leodegrance." Gaius lifted up the foot of the taller, statuesque brunette, showing the mark on the underside. "She can only be Lady Gertrude, daughter of Lord Vreichvras, companion of Princess Guinevere since early childhood. Her body, along with Guinevere's, was never identified in the massacre."

Uther frowned, gaze going to the other girl. "And her?"

Gaius hesitated, before moving the girl's hair to the side, baring the skin behind her ear, which would usually be hidden by her hair.

Confused as to why his Court Physician refused to speak, Uther stepped forwards and leaned down, before his eyes widened in horror at the small, familiar birthmark. He pulled away, horror on his paled face. "It cannot be! It is impossible!"

"No Sire." Gaius shook his head. "It is she."

Uther turned to the petite brunette, hand going to his heart. "_Elaine_."

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**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Merlin. **

Sequel to: Destiny Begun

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She knew her name.

She _knew_ her _name_!

Those four words seemed to haunt Arthur the rest of the night, as he sat next to Chloe by the fire. He didn't utter a word, barely listened to the stories she told them of (which he secretly was beginning to believe might actually be events she lived through herself). Arthur couldn't keep himself from remembering the way her eyes had gone hazy, almost as if in a trance, and she'd uttered those words that were haunting him now.

_"I am Lady Guinevere, ward of the king of Camelot and promised daughter." She'd smiled, eyes so odd they seemed almost unseeing. "My men are here to escort me to my new home, and are overprotective because Camelot has many enemies who would punish the kingdom by hurting an ally."_

Arthur hadn't noticed his sword slip from his grip until it'd clattered to the ground, but he _had_ noticed that the sound seemed to have jarred Chloe out of the trance she'd seemed to be in, and she'd turned to him, confused and worried, enquiring about his health. He hadn't been able to say anything, hadn't been able to even open his mouth, just watching her in hope. Had her memory returned? Was this it? Was she his Guinnie again?

And yet it was Chloe once more...

But...when Sir Leon had mentioned the name Guinevere she'd gone pale in horror...almost as if...as if she'd recognized the name.

Almost as if she _knew_ it.

And that was what had Arthur gazing at Chloe more intently than usual as the knights ate the food she'd created, all quite pleased and relieved at how much better she was than Sir Pellinore. Even Sir Pellinore seemed relieved, praising her for her culinary masterpiece, something which made her laugh and scoff at that word being applied to soup.

He didn't know what about what she was saying now caught his attention, but it did, and he listened.

"And then the princess married the ogre, and went to live with him in his swamp." Chloe declared with a flourish. "And they lived happily ever after...until the sequel at least."

There was a deep silence amongst his men, and Arthur began to feel that he'd missed out on something crucial. What ogre and princess had Chloe been talking about? And what exactly was a sequel?

"Why would she prefer to live as an ogre when she could have lived unhindered by the witch's spell and as a princess?" Sir Pellinore wanted to know, making up his face."It doesn't make any sense."

"She loved the ogre because he made her love herself." The runt, Merlin, declared with rolled eyes at the knight. "It's also why the dragon ended up with the donkey...and I have to say...that couple was more interesting for me."

A couple of the knights snickered while others mumbled their agreement.

A princess ended up with an ogre...and a donkey with a dragon...

Arthur blinked.

What sort of things happened in the prison dimension Chloe had grown up in?

The knights on guard duty finished their shift and returned to the fire to eat, while their replacements left to start their shift.

"Okay, apparently I'm going to have to work up towards Shrek II." Chloe laughed, shaking her head as the knights served themselves. "How about a more _traditional_ tale?"

The knights didn't speak, but leaned forwards, giving enough of an answer.

Arthur was struck, once more, with surprise at how well his men were taking to Chloe. She seemed to know how to deal with men, and while that made him somewhat uneasy and resentful of whomever had given her the practice, she seemed more of the mothering type...and he believed that his knights sensed that and were reacting to it.

"Once upon a time, in a land Far, Far away..." she began...but was unable to continue as the sounds of swords clashing erupted around them.

"BANDITS!" One of the knights on duty yelled.

The knights all rose as one, unsheathing their swords as all of a sudden the rogues emerged from the woodlands around them.

"A favorable night to you, noble sirs." The leader smirked as he shouldered his own sword, proving his lack of fear for the knights. "Now kindly give us what you have and we'll let you travel through the rest of these lands with your lives."

Arthur sneered, stepping protectively in front of Chloe, sword trained on the leader. "Kindly leave now and we _might_ let you and your brigands leave with your lives."

The leader shared a look with his men before laughing. "Do you not see you're outnumbered?"

Suddenly even _more_ bandits emerged from the woods.

"Numbers mean nothing." Arthur sneered smugger, his knights not seeming very worried either.

Their confidence obviously made the bandits hesitate, before the leader finally snarled and turned to his men. "Kill the men!" His eyes went evilly to Chloe. "The woman is mine."

Chloe's eyes widened.

Oh no she wasn't!

Arthur snarled and charged the leader, their blades meeting only seconds before the knights and the brigands followed.

Chloe looked around her, eyes wide. She'd never been in the middle of combat before, and she felt in shock, and a little scared as she looked all around her. Lois had taught her hand to hand combat, and despite being in this dress would hinder her movement somehow Chloe was sure she'd be able to defend herself if someone came at her with just his hands...but how could she go up against swords?

One of the bandits came at her, and Chloe's eyes widened as suddenly a root rose from the ground and tripped the bandit, who fell hard.

Magic.

The blonde turned to Merlin in time to see his eyes flashing gold.

She looked around her, terrified someone else had seen that. No one seemed to have, and she raced to Merlin, grabbing his hand and forcing him to look at her as she lowered her voice and glared at him.

"No matter what happens, don't use magic."

His eyes widened. "I-I don't-!"

"I _know_ who you are, Merlin." Chloe whispered, staring up into his shocked, light blue eyes. "I know what you can do, and I know what you become. But no one else can know. Not yet." She tightened her hold on him and her voice lowered urgently. "Magic in Camelot is a death sentence, and every single one of these men will not hesitate to hand you to the king to be executed once you're on Camelot's soil if they were to know that you're magic."

He looked younger and scared.

"No magic." She whispered.

"No magic." He whispered.

Relieved, the blonde sent him a smile before letting go of his hand and pushing him out of the way as an arrow flew towards and between them, embedding itself into a tree just behind them. Chloe's eyes widened at the arrow before turning towards the shooter, finding him now aiming at Arthur, who fought three different bandits at the same time. The prince was incredibly impressive and formidable, and for a moment Chloe was distracted by just how _amazing_ he was, but then she remembered the fact that a bandit was aiming an arrow at him.

Merlin gave a little yelp and ran when one of the bandits came after him with a sword.

Looking around desperately, Chloe ignored Merlin's plight, knowing he could take care of himself. She grabbed one of the logs of wood out of the fire, half of it in flames as she threw it at the archer. It instead hit the man standing in front of him, but the force of the blow barreled the (now on fire) man into the archer, causing the arrow to fly wide and pierce through the neck of one of the men fighting Arthur.

Chloe didn't have time to celebrate because suddenly she was grabbed from behind, a hand around her mouth, silencing her screams, another with a blade to her throat.

"_Don't make any noise_." The leader of the bandits growled into her ear, the blade digging threateningly deeper.

Chloe let herself be pulled out of the battle, deep into the forest, and when the sounds of the battle were distanced he let her go, sneering.

"Take off your clothes." He ordered.

Chloe glared at him.

This was just like something that would happen to Guinevere. She'd get kidnapped by some lusty fool and them get 'ravaged' by him, only to afterwards be rescued by Arthur or Lancelot.

Too bad for this pig she _wasn't_ Guinevere, and there was no way she was taking this lying down...

...or in any other position for that matter.

Still, to bid her time, the blonde slowly removed her warm cloak, letting it cascade down to her feet.

He chuckled lecherously, dropping his sword and beginning to work on his trousers.

Chloe's fingers worked over the strings of her bodice, loosening them, eyes never leaving him.

The man surged forwards and slapped her viciously, the back of his palm connecting with her cheek and causing her head to swing as she fell to the ground with the blow. "Don't look at me like that! You think you're too good for a man like me?" He snarled. "I'll show you!"

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Uther wasn't exactly happy with the fact that Guinevere had forced his hand into signing a contract with her, but there must be a reason as to why Arthur hadn't just dragged her back to her rightful place, and that meant this was Uther's only choice. So he'd signed the documents and had sent the knight riding back to meet up with the others at the border of Escetia and Camelot. It gave him more time to concentrate on the issue at hand.

Gertrude and...Elaine...had both awoken and unlike Guinevere they knew who they really were. Apparently, the fact that they'd realized that they were in a prison dimension was what had set them free...and what had allowed them to be in their true world with knowledge that their alternate identities were false. That didn't mean that they remembered their lives as Gertrude and Elaine, preferring, like Guinevere, to go by the names they'd been given in the other world.

Lois Lane and Lana Lang.

Gaius had spoken to the girls further, instructing them on the policy on magic in Camelot, of what was expected of them, and what would happen to their friend if they told Guinevere who she truly was.

It was obvious from their expressions that both girls truly cared for young Guinevere, the thought of her death horrifying them. They dealt with it differently though. Like the companion she was, Gertrude was the most worried, pacing back and forth most un-lady-likely, saying they should hunt Nimueh down and force her to give them all their memories of their true lives back or to at least lift the spell on them so they could tell Guinevere the truth.

Uther somewhat liked that girl. She reminded him of Morgana.

Elaine on the other hand was wary of going after Nimueh, reminding Gertrude of the same possession incident Guinevere had mentioned before, in which witches had taken over their bodies to destroy the world.

He approved of her wariness when it came to magic as well.

Uther wondered, since these two obviously didn't like and didn't trust magic, why Guinevere was different.

He wasn't blind, he'd seen the fury and agony in her face every time a witch was condemned to death.

He'd heard the many times Arthur had pulled her apart from the others to hiss a reminder to her that this was the ways of the kingdom, the boy obviously terrified at the thought of his own father hearing the girl's whispers of discontent and Uther punishing her for it.

Then again, Uther _had_ killed people for less.

Maybe...maybe now that she had Gertrude and Elaine with her once more Guinevere would calm, would learn to accept things and her role in them, and would stop wanting to return to that place she'd been held prisoner for so long.

Uther hope this was so...

...for her own good.

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"No one's gonna save you." The bandit sneered through rotten teeth before throwing himself on top of Chloe, covering her body with his.

She smiled up at him. "Who says I _need_ someone to save me?"

His smile wilted slightly, confusion entering his eyes.

Remembering what Lois had drilled into her brain about what to do if in these situations, Chloe brought her knees up under him to off balance him as she struck up against his chin with the heel of her palm as hard as she could. He howled in pain, and she wiggled, thrashed, managing to push him off and struggle to her feet before kicking him as hard as she could in his repugnant face.

Hearing rapidly approaching footsteps, Chloe turned in time to see Arthur arriving, his eyes wide on her disheveled appearance before he snarled and looked down at the bandit, who was currently spitting out teeth.

"What took you so long?" Chloe asked as easily as she could, bringing her hand to her popped lip and wincing.

Arthur didn't answer, walking passed her to thrust his sword through the bandit's neck before yanking the blade out and sheathing it, turning towards her. Silent, quite unlike him, Arthur reached her side and reached for her face, actions soft and gentle as he turned her face so he could examine the bruises and slight swelling. His touch was so tender, and yet the look in those blue eyes was murderous and dark, ugly, monstrous.

It frightened Chloe a little, even though she knew it wasn't aimed towards her. "I'm okay."

"No thanks to me..._again_." He snarled, self-disgust obvious in his voice.

It shocked her. "Arthur, I'm not the type who likes to wait to be rescued...you know...a Damsel in Distress." She have him a little smile and then flinched when her lips hurt. "You're going to have to get used to me getting hurt because I _always_ attract a lot of danger and trouble, and this isn't the first time I've been hurt nor will it be the last."

Concern began to override the fury in his eyes, as his thumb caressed her cheek.

She gulped, shocked at the way her heart was racing rapidly in her throat.

She-she didn't react this way with Arthur!

She-she'd reacted this way with Lancelot-but _Arthur_?

Then again, this Arthur...he wasn't the Arthur she usually saw.

For the first time she was _really_ getting a glance of the king he could become...of the king she'd crushed on for most of her childhood and teenaged years...and that glimpse took her breath away.

Oh boy...

She was starting to _really_ feel sorry for Guinevere now instead of the jealousy she'd felt before. The woman clearly didn't have a chance in hell. Not against Lancelot and Arthur, or their looks, their touches...

Chloe gulped, unable to look away from Arthur's searching gaze.

But, well, now that Merlin and Lancelot both had appeared on scene Guinevere better get her royal tush out soon, before Chloe forgot about her completely and did something _really_ stupid concerning prince or knight.

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**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Merlin. **

Sequel to: Destiny Begun

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As Chloe rode in front of Arthur on his steed, she was surprised to realize that after all these days of riding she'd gotten used to this, had become very comfortable leaning into his chest and trusting the arm loosely around her to keep her from falling. She was conflicted, stroking the mane of the steed as she lost herself in thought. Her destiny was to be here, in this wrong time and country, to help Arthur become the king he was in her books, and to also basically heal the bad blood between Albion and magic. Once that was restored she knew now that it would be Merlin who would have the power to send her back to her time. She also had a feeling that this Emrys character she was supposed to work along with was Merlin. She vaguely remembered that Merlin went by many names, and she had a gut feeling that Emrys was one of them.

It was ironic to think that she was in the middle of one of her favorite legends of all time, almost as if she should have been here always due to the fact that she was 'destined' to do this...but if so _why_ hadn't there ever been someone named _Chloe_ in the Arthurian legends? She figured someone who'd 'healed' Albion should have at least merited a passing mention in _one_ of the many legends. If she really was supposed to do this, why wasn't there any record of her from this time?

Her gaze went to Merlin, who was walking close to them, easily keeping up with the horses slow pace.

He wasn't like the legends said he was either, and she really couldn't imagine him being the offspring of some mortal woman and an incubus demon. This Merlin was much more human, much younger, and she had to admit it, much _snarkier_ than he'd been depicted in the stories.

She kinda liked him better this way.

She wondered about Vivian, his lover who would later ensnare him, which was why he wasn't there to save Arthur at that fated battle with Mordred.

But...but in this land Mordred was a young druid boy who wanted peace, son of Cerdan, a good man.

So many things were different than they'd been written in their stories.

Morgana wasn't Arthur's sister but his father's ward, Guinevere was _no where_ to be found, and Lancelot hadn't grown up in the realm of the Lady of the Lake...a prince in his own right. And where was Anna Morgause? Arthur's _other_ supposed half-sister? It was with _her_ (whom many over the years had mixed with Morgana and made into one woman) whom Arthur was supposed to have had Mordred by. So if she played such a vital role where exactly was she? And why didn't anyone know who she was when Chloe had vaguely asked if there was an Anna Morgause in the castle? Not even Morgana seemed to know who she'd been talking about.

It was all so confusing.

If things weren't like in the tales...how would she know what had really happened and what hadn't? How would she be able to right wrongs or make sure certain things didn't happen if she wasn't sure which were accurate and which were elaborate storytelling?

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"This is _ridiculous_." Lois hissed to Lana, pacing the bedroom nervously. "We need to hunt down that bitch and make her bring Chloe's rightful memories back so she can be warned! Out of the three of us she's the one who knows these legends like the back of her hand, if she knew she was Princess Guinevere things could be different! How are we going to be able to help her make sure she doesn't make the same mistakes if we can't even _tell_ her anything?"

Lana sat on the bed, sighing. "There has to be some way to jump-start her memories without outright telling her. If she remembers on her own then the spell should be broken."

"How exactly are we going to jump start her memory if being here hasn't been able to do it?" Lois wanted to know, eyes narrowed, throwing her hands in the air. "I know enough of the legend to know that Guinevere does _not_ have a good end! None of the versions are good! The best one has her dying in a _convent_! A _convent_! In others she dies of heartache after her and Arthur's son dies...in another Lancelot executes her...in another Arthur has her torn apart by wild horses...and in another she is killed by the people of Camelot! None of these are good endings and Chloe doesn't deserve _any_ of them!"

Lana looked up at that, pale. "Are you serious?"

Lois slammed her fist into the wall. "Chloe can't stay here, Lana. Even if-even if this is where we're supposed to be-she can't stay here."

Lana nodded, standing. "At least she has a chance in the prison-world."

"Exactly." Lois agreed, turning to her petite friend. "Now that we're here, we need to get her and get the hell outta here before history (no matter _which_ one of the versions it is) can repeat itself and something terrible happens to her!"

"But _how_?" Lana whispered, biting her bottom lip, gaze going to the door before she lowered her voice and drew closer to Lois. "We came here by magic, remember? We were supposedly _freed_ from our prison. This was supposed to be the _good_ part."

"Then why do I miss it there?" Lois whispered back, looking a little desperate. "Sure, our world was messed up, but it sure beat things here! I don't know if there was a Gertrude in the Arthurian legends...but I _do_ know there were a _couple_ of Elaines...and the only one I can remember well dies of heartbreak because Lancelot loves Guinevere and not her."

Lana gulped. "Even if I was _that_ Elaine I wouldn't let that happen...especially not when I know what to expect and how to counter it."

"Exactly!" Lois looked about to cry. "You have warning! Chloe _doesn't_! She's walking into a trap, will make the same mistakes, and we can't do a thing to stop her!"

Lana reached out and hugged Lois. "We'll find a way to keep her from making the same mistakes...at least until we can find a way back home."

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Arthur watched as Sir Bedivere approached on horseback as they neared the boundary between Camelot and Escetia. Thankfully Camelot hadn't lost any of its knights during the scuffle with the bandits, but some had been injured...surprisingly very minor injuries though. He wondered if this was what his father had been referring to when he'd told him that Chloe was going to be a token of luck for Camelot and her troops, that having her with them would bring them good fortune. Last night Arthur knew that they'd gotten off lucky. There'd been more bandits than they'd anticipated, they should have lost at least one knight, and yet other than minor injuries they were perfectly well, all the knights quite invigorated by the small battle.

"Sire." Sir Bedivere smiled, handing him a sealed document. "The King sends this for the Lady."

He could feel the blonde tensing in his arms.

"Thank you, Sir Bedivere." Arthur reached for the document and then passed it to her hands. "Milady."

Chloe leaned harder into his chest, subconsciously seeking comfort, and it shocked him.

He answered by tightening his grip around her slightly.

The lady hesitated only a second before breaking the royal seal and rolled open the parchment, silently reading what was written within.

Arthur gazed over her shoulder before closing his eyes in thankfulness when he realized that his father had given into the demands, and had signed his agreement.

"Thank you." Chloe whispered softly, rolling back up the document and placing one of her hands over the one he had around her. "_Thank you_."

He felt something lodge in his throat, so he cleared it and nodded. "You are welcome."

She relaxed in his hold as he urged the horse over the border, finally stepping back onto Camelot's soil.

Now that they were back home, and she didn't feel a prisoner, Arthur was going to work hard so that she never wanted to leave again. He'd make sure that she considered Camelot her home as well, and would grow to love it and its people just as much as he did.

When he'd left here, searching for her with desperation, he'd promised the Old Gods he wasn't supposed to worship that if they allowed him to find her again, alive and well, that he'd make her his queen no matter what, and make her happy. He'd never made a promise to anyone before, especially not the gods, but he was a Pendragon, and Pendragons kept their word.

Guinevere, Chloe, it didn't matter what she called herself.

He even had problems thinking of her as Guinevere...whatever she'd gone through in that prison had changed her too much from the girl he'd once known for him to associate her with the little child she'd once been...but as he remembered coming upon the scene of her kicking the face of the man who would have been her rapist...he had to admit that this new side of her intrigued and fascinated him. The only other woman in his day and age who would have even thought of becoming the attacker and not the victim was Morgana...but somehow Chloe wasn't like Morgana either.

Arthur really liked her...no matter how pig-headed and cheeky she was.

And maybe...maybe those were some of the things he _did_ like about her.

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"They're going to burn him...because he used magic to make his crops grow." Lana whispered, horrified, the fact that witches blood ran through her veins chilling her in terror. "He wasn't doing anything evil at all-more crops would mean better economy and moral for Camelot! How could they _kill_ someone over something like that?"

Lois gazed down at the courtyard, where they were preparing chopping block on which the 'evil sorcerer' was to be beheaded in front of the whole village. "I'm not the biggest fan of magic, but this is tyrannical at best."

"We have to be careful what we say, where we say it, and who might be listening." Lana went to the door, pressing her ear to it before opening the large wooden thing, gazing outside, glad that the guards had truly left after Lois had threatened to attack them with the fire poker if she peered outside and saw them once more. The tiny brunette closed the door and went back towards Lois, voice lowered. "If we slip up it can be our necks headed towards the chopping block next."

"We need to get out of here. It's Barbarian Land." Lois frowned. "Somehow, when Chloe used to talk about the Arthurian times, it wasn't like this."

"Probably because that was the _Arthurian_ times." Lana responded, pulling a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "These are the _Utherian_ times."

Lois frowned. "You've made a _very_ good point."

"If only the Grimoire had travelled with us instead of staying there." Lana whispered. "If it was here we'd be able to find a spell to go back, I'm sure of it."

Lois suddenly stilled, and then her eyes went wide and she smiled, turning to Lana and placing her hands on her shoulders. "You're a genius!"

"I am?" Lana blinked.

"Yes!" Lois nodded. "The book! It was owned by Nimueh, remember? They were like keys to each realm! And since it brought us here and stayed there it means that there has to be _another_ book somewhere here, hidden in this castle!"

"And if we find it..." Lana's eyes widened, as a smile took over her face. "If we find wherever the twin book is hidden we can find the spell to take us back!"

Lois smiled and reached out her hand.

Lana grinned, reaching out and putting her hand in Lois'.

They shook on it.

Somewhere in this castle lay Nimueh's Grimoire...and they were going to find it.

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**Review?**


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